A few days ago, things weren’t going great for the Houston Rockets, but they were going probably as well as they are ever going to this season. The team had just beaten the Orlando Magic by 32 points to pull their record to 3-4, and the next day, James Harden — who, in case you missed it, has been going through a very public and embarassing trade demand saga this season — at the very least admitted that there were positive aspects about these Rockets, and at best acknowledged the possibility of a future in Houston.
James Harden: "We got a lot of work to do. I think every team feels that way...We just haven't had the opportunity to work together very often. As long as we continue to find chemistry, to find pace on both ends of the floor, we got a chance to do something special." #Rockets
— Alykhan Bijani (@Rockets_Insider) January 9, 2021
Even after losing their next game to the Lakers, things weren’t looking too bad. The team was still close to .500, and on the day in-between games, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer reported that the front office was “growing more confident that Harden will be content to stick around at least through the rest of the season,” even if he also wrote that “sources say Harden still prefers to be dealt.”
Then... Well, then the Lakers happened. Or more accurately, the Lakers at the full peak of their powers happened. The Rockets never once held a lead on Tuesday, and the Lakers pushed the deficit to as much as 30 at one point in a game that was realistically over by halftime. Los Angeles essentially spent 48 minutes clowning the team they just gentlemen’s swept out of the playoffs.
After the game, Harden wasn’t talking about “a chance to do something special” anymore.
James Harden: "I love this city. I've literally done everything I can. This situation is crazy. I don't think it can be fixed. Thanks."
He left the podium.
— Alykhan Bijani (@Rockets_Insider) January 13, 2021
"I love this city. I've literally done everything I can. This situation is crazy. It’s something I don’t think can be fixed. Thanks."
—James Harden on the Rockets pic.twitter.com/LcPLn09TgE
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 13, 2021
So, to recap, the Lakers have won their last six games against the Rockets, including four straight in the playoffs, and now — after beating a Houston team people actually thought had a shot against them so badly in the postseason that Harden quit on the organization where he won his only MVP award and has spent the majority of his career — they so thoroughly stomped them in two regular season games that Harden went from saying positive things to walking out on press conferences while his teammates take shots at him in the media.
I asked John Wall how he would assess his partnership on the court with James Harden through 9 games:
"I think it's been a little rocky, can't lie about that. I don't think it's been the best it could be, to be honest. That's all I really could say." #Rockets
— Alykhan Bijani (@Rockets_Insider) January 13, 2021
John Wall: "Like I told everybody tonight, when the 1-15 guys are all on the same page and they commit...you all will be fine. But when you have certain guys in the mix that don't want to buy in as one, it's gonna be hard to do anything special as a basketball team...It hurts."
— Alykhan Bijani (@Rockets_Insider) January 13, 2021
John Wall: "If we can all get on the same page, we can be something good here. We can't dwell down on it because it's only been 9 games. Come on, man. You're going to jump off the cliff off of 9 games? There's a lot of basketball still to be played." #Rockets
— Alykhan Bijani (@Rockets_Insider) January 13, 2021
So in case you were wondering how exhausting it is to play against a Lakers team with locked in versions of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, it appears we have empirical evidence that the answer is “exhausting enough to make a team implode twice” or “demoralizing enough to make you go from cautious optimism to re-ignited tire fire.”
I mean, good for the Lakers, but Houston, you officially have a problem. Again. Sorry about that.
For more Lakers talk, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts. You can follow Harrison on Twitter at @hmfaigen.
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